Chapter 260: Decisive Battle at the Imperial City, Jiang Ruoxu Appears

Ye Nantian, cloaked in a billowing black robe, strode through the swirling dust and thick mist. His internal energy surged like a tide, causing sand and gravel to fly backward and bricks to spin wildly. Even the pervasive dust seemed to coalesce into a vortex under the sheer force of his aura.

As his fingertip hooked the edge of the ghastly mask, the silence was shattered by a ripping sound. The moment the mask was lifted, a chiseled, angular face came into view. His gaze was like lightning piercing clouds, and a seven-tenths sneer played on his lips, as if all creation were mere ants in his eyes. All that remained was an overbearing aura capable of dominating the heavens and earth.

"Gu Mo, I've heard much about you!"

Ye Nantian cupped his hands and spoke. His voice was remarkably calm, yet it carried an oppressive weight, as if his words themselves were rolling waves, exerting pressure. Curiously, he wasn't using any sound-based martial arts.

Gu Mo assessed Ye Nantian. Although he bore an identical resemblance to the doppelganger Gu Mo had killed earlier in Sanchuan County, there was an unmistakable sense that this was the true person, while the other had been a mere imitation. Despite the same appearance, they were clearly two different individuals.

"The pleasure is mine!"

Gu Mo crossed his twin swords in a gesture of respect. He was a very polite person, and having traveled thousands of miles to kill someone, it would be rude not to return such a polite greeting. Furthermore, this was a formidable seven-star wanted criminal, one of only two in the entire Qian Kingdom. Aside from the Thirteen Taboos, Ye Nantian was already among the highest tier of wanted individuals; even within the Thirteen Taboos, two were only at the seven-star level.

Most importantly, the reward for killing Ye Nantian deeply enticed Gu Mo.

Wanted Target: Ye NantianMission Level: Seven-starMission Reward: Max-level Dragon God Art

The Dragon God Art was a secret family technique of the Long clan from *Water Moon Cave Heaven*. Practitioners could transform into a divine dragon, acquiring most of a dragon's attributes, including aerial flight, summoning wind and rain, and invincibility. This martial art transcended the usual reliance on true energy for transformations and simulations. The Dragon God Art genuinely allowed a human to shapeshift into a dragon. The Dragon God Art enabled flight, dragon-form attacks, detoxification, healing, object manipulation, and self-protection. Its versatility was boundless, its power infinite, and it possessed the near-supernatural ability to summon wind and rain.

Ye Nantian looked at Gu Mo and said in a deep voice, "Hero Gu, we..." The words died on his lips, and he gave a wry smile, then continued, "Never mind. At this point, it's impossible for us not to decide a victor and a loser, life or death. Coincidentally, I have long coveted the title of 'Greatest Under Heaven,' and today, I shall claim it from you, Hero Gu!"

As his voice trailed off, Ye Nantian suddenly reached out, his palm extending towards a black ebony box three zhang away. As veins bulged on his fingertips, the box lid exploded with a "bang!" In an instant, blades, spears, swords, and halberds spun out like a swarm of bees leaving their nest. A serrated saber gleamed coldly as it cut through the air, the red tassel of an eight-zhang serpent spear stirred up dust, iron maces and *fangtian ji* clashed with a piercing clang in mid-air. Over a dozen types of weapons, whistling sharply through the air, coalesced into a storm of blades around him.

The moment the weapons arrayed themselves, the phantom images around Ye Nantian flickered. Seventeen identical figures detached from his main body, making a total of eighteen figures, including himself. Like a mirror splitting, they simultaneously closed in. The eighteen figures moved with uncanny footwork. Some wielded longswords, thrusting directly at the heart; others swung great axes, cleaving towards the shoulders and neck. A dense net of intertwined weapons sealed off every opening within three zhang of Gu Mo, their killing intent solidifying into tangible pressure.

Gu Mo's pupils constricted slightly. He could confirm this was not an illusion; all eighteen figures were real. He immediately understood that this was the effect of Ye Nantian's Undying Gu. After all, the rumored Undying Gu could endlessly generate clones.

In an instant, the eighteen figures attacked, forming a combined killing formation. Gu Mo stood still in the center. White light surged from his left hand as he unleashed the "Hundred-Pace Flying Sword" with the Grand Void Sword. Sword shadows, like ribbons, transformed into thousands of cold stars, targeting the vital wrist points of the eighteen figures. Green light burst from his right hand as he executed "Spanning Eight Directions" with the Deep Rainbow Sword. Sword energy surged like crashing waves, forming a circular sword curtain.

As his twin swords opened and closed, white and green lights intertwined into a net of light. Sometimes, it was like a spiritual serpent striking precisely at weapons; other times, it was like a surging tide, shattering the encirclement. The attacks of the eighteen figures hadn't even touched his clothes before they were repeatedly forced back by the sword wind. Several incoming weapons were even sent flying back by the sword energy, landing with clanging sounds all over the ground. Gu Mo tapped his toes, and his twin swords transformed into agile dragons, weaving freely among the eighteen figures. Each clash sparked dazzling light, and he, with just two swords, utterly shattered the eighteen-layered siege.

For a moment, true energy surged turbulently, city walls crumbled, debris flew through the air, and dust filled the sky.

At this moment, Emperor Jiang leaped down from the city wall, waving a military flag in his hand, and shouted, "Kill Gu Chudong!"

A chilling killing intent flashed in Gu Mo's eyes as he fought Ye Nantian. He instantly cut two of Ye Nantian's clones in half, but eerily, those two immediately turned into four, who fearlessly charged forward simultaneously. Just then, a dense hail of arrows shot towards the palace entrance, indiscriminately targeting friend and foe alike, completely disregarding the lives of the Jiang Kingdom's civil and military officials. Gu Chudong, Ye Jinglan, Xiao Ziyin, and other members of the two nation's diplomatic missions quickly ran into the palace, hiding behind pillars to avoid the arrows. At the same time, they threw out tables, chairs, and benches from within the palace to block the main entrance. After that volley of arrows, many members of the Qian and Chu diplomatic missions perished. As for the civil and military officials of the Jiang Kingdom, more than half were directly taken by the arrow rain.

And as soon as one volley of arrows finished, the grand army mobilized. Iron cavalry surged in through the four palace gate openings, their battle aura pressing forward. The thunderous rumble of hooves echoed from beneath the earth, shaking the ground and shattering floor tiles. Black-armored cavalry, like a dark flood, poured in from eight directions, and one by one, the grandmasters of the Jiang Kingdom's imperial city concealed themselves within the army.

"Gu Mo!" From a high platform far off on the palace wall, Emperor Jiang shouted provocatively, "I hear you can withstand an army of heavy cavalry alone. I wonder if your sister can?"

"You will die a miserable death."

Gu Mo swung his twin swords, forcing back an attack, then sent a burst of sword energy slashing towards Emperor Jiang. However, the moment the sword energy surged forth, it was blocked by a wall of true energy—the combined effort of several "Ye Nantians."

"Hero Gu, your opponent is me. It's not wise to be distracted like this!" Ye Nantian said. Over twenty Ye Nantians spoke simultaneously, making Gu Mo's ears hum. Gu Mo immediately prepared to use his "Blending Light with Dust" movement technique to teleport towards the palace.

Just then, a loud shout suddenly came from within the main palace hall: "Brother Gu, you focus on killing Ye Nantian! Leave our sister's safety to me, you can rest assured!"

Ye Jinglan emerged, carrying a saber, with a faint glow of fire emanating from him. He walked at the forefront, followed by Gu Chudong and Xiao Ziyin walking side by side, and then Zhuo Qingfeng and other experts from the two diplomatic missions.

By now, the plaza's stone slabs were pulverizing into dust under the iron hooves. Black-armored cavalry, like a dark tide, swept over the white jade steps, a forest of spears and a sea of lances bearing down on the palace's vermilion gates. Just as the horses of the vanguard cavalry were about to shatter the imperial steps, a beast roar that split stone and pierced clouds suddenly exploded!

"Roar!"

Three zhang tall crimson flames suddenly erupted around Ye Jinglan. The fire, like a rampant dragon, devoured and then reshaped his figure. His scales appeared cast from molten gold, hot lava spewed from between his dragon head and deer antlers, and wherever his four hooves landed, the stone slabs instantly melted into glassy furrows. This Qilin, engulfed in flames, suddenly reared its neck and roared. The sound waves transformed into tangible waves of fire, sending over a dozen warhorses in the front row, along with their riders, flying backward. The iron armor sizzled and melted in the intense heat.

The Qilin's figure flickered, and amidst the surging flames, it reverted to human form, a flaming long saber appearing in its hand. He stomped his left foot, and pillars of fire erupted from the ground, overturning an entire row of iron cavalry. Where his long saber swept, armor and weapons were ignited and shattered like paper. The next moment, his form changed again; the Qilin's massive hooves crushed stone slabs, and tongues of fire, wreathed in thick smoke, bisected the charging cavalry formation. The furious cleaving of his human form and the trampling and burning of his beast form intertwined, carving out a scorched vacuum zone within the iron tide.

"A Qilin!" Xiao Ziyin, standing behind, her pupils constricted slightly, murmured, "This is truly unfair. First Gu Mo, and now another Ye Jinglan. The Qian Kingdom's martial fortune is truly flourishing!"

However, she had no time for further thought. Her pristine white long sleeves fluttered like startled swans, and cold air emanating from their cuffs condensed into an ice-blue net in mid-air. She rotated her overlapping sleeves, sending countless ice shards shooting out like a sudden downpour. The front-row cavalry horses' legs were instantly encased in thick ice, and men and horses alike crashed down, turning into ice sculptures. Moreover, ice walls abruptly rose from the ground, firmly blocking the subsequent cavalry formations, and the frigid cages, solidified by cold energy, refracted a chilling light under the sun.

At the same time, Gu Chudong's Gouchen Demonic Blade carved out eerie arcs at her side. The blade glowed with the identical Qilin flames of Ye Jinglan, transforming into cross-shaped blade energies. Each strike produced a piercing shriek as it tore through the air. Wherever the blade's edge passed, iron armor shattered piece by piece like decaying wood, and scarlet blood mist rose from the sundered cavalry formations. She tapped her toes, spun, and charged forward. The demonic blade transformed into a series of fiery gleams, impaling the iron cavalry attempting to flank them into the plaza's stone crevices.

The flame-engulfed Qilin rampaged, while the demonic blade's savage tearing of flesh and the ice shards blocking paths intertwined into a net. Each of Ye Jinglan's form changes unleashed a storm of destruction. Gu Chudong's blade light, like a shadow, swept away any enemies who slipped through, while Xiao Ziyin's icy cages continually reshaped the defensive line. The flood of iron hooves crashed against the barrier of interwoven heat and ice formed by these three, unable to advance even an inch, like waves pounding against a reef. Only the metallic clang of clashing weapons and the explosive roar of intense flames and freezing ice wildly reverberated above the palace square.

On the city wall, one of Ye Nantian's clones clicked his tongue in admiration. "Ye Jinglan, well done! To be able to freely control the Qilin form now. However, Hero Gu, although Ye Jinglan is not weak, he cannot maintain this state for more than half an hour at most!"

Gu Mo calmly said, "Half an hour is more than enough to kill you."

"Hahahaha..." Ye Nantian laughed loudly, "Hero Gu, I've studied your battle record. While you possess many techniques, your greatest trump card is actually your abundant internal energy. However, that advantage is negligible before me, because my true energy is inexhaustible, and what's more, I cannot be killed!"

Above the crumbling walls and ruins, phantom images surged around Ye Nantian like snow boiling in water. Over twenty clones suddenly split into hundreds!

"What makes you think you can kill me!" Ye Nantian let out a roar.

Iron blades glinted in the setting sun, and countless cold gleams intertwined into a net in the twilight, engulfing Gu Mo like a torrential downpour. The long spears of the front-row clones thrust forward like a forest, while the axes and halberds from the back row cleaved down with immense force. Longswords on both sides darted like spiritual serpents, completely sealing off every opening within three zhang of Gu Mo. Wherever the killing net passed, the bluestone tiles on the ground cracked inch by inch. Splintered stones, mixed with the afterglow of the setting sun, carved scarlet arcs in the air. This overwhelming offensive carried a suffocating sense of oppression, as if the entire world trembled under its crushing force. A hundred figures advanced with perfectly synchronized steps, like a precisely operating war machine, trapping Gu Mo firmly in the center. The cold light of intertwined iron blades almost completely engulfed his figure.

"Hmph!" Gu Mo let out a cold snort, and his twin swords vibrated. The Grand Void Sword and Deep Rainbow Sword transformed into streams of light in his palms. He tapped his toes, spun, and danced swiftly. Sword shadows, like a furious tide, assailed his foes. His left sword parried three long spears aimed at his face, while his right sword swept aside five ring-hilted sabers cleaving towards his knees. His figure moved so fast it was as if he had six arms, and every sword swing caused an explosive clang of metal.

Energy waves surged like a passing hurricane. The bluestone city walls groaned under the strain; the three-zhang high arrow tower was the first to shatter, its flying eaves and dougong brackets pulverizing into dust amidst the roar. Glazed tiles poured down like a torrential rain. Heavy city wall bricks began to peel off, first small fragments rustled down, then the entire wall explosively crumbled as if struck by a giant hammer!

"Ye Nantian, stop messing around!" Emperor Jiang, observing the battle from afar, watched the heavy cavalry armor falling in front of the palace gates, his eyes bloodshot. Beneath every piece of black armor lay immensely costly elites.

Following Emperor Jiang's shout, Ye Nantian's hundred clones suddenly diffused like ink drops in water, instantly fissioning into countless phantoms. The air emitted a grating, twisting sound as innumerable Ye Nantians poured forth from the void. The cold glint of clashing weapons formed a dazzling light curtain, and the hum of sabers, spears, swords, and halberds, mixed with the screech of metal, sounded like ten thousand ghosts wailing at night. Clones from all directions formed a dense formation, like a giant steel monster baring its fangs. Blade lights poured down like a storm, spear tips resembled an inverted galaxy, and the whistling of axes and halberds, along with the clang of swords and halberds, completely shredded the space within a ten-zhang radius. The overwhelming pressure felt as if the entire world was twisting and deforming under this terrifying power. In an instant, even the light of the sky seemed to be blotted out.

Gu Mo directly plunged both swords into the ground, then formed palm strikes with both hands, unleashing his Innate Gang Qi. Instantly, a moonlight-white Gang Qi burst forth from his body, forming a translucent light barrier several zhang in diameter. Over a dozen clones charging at the front crashed into the Gang Qi, shattering piece by piece like paper. The flying phantoms were dispersed by the rippling Gang Qi. The Innate Gang Qi stood firm like a glazed shield, allowing thousands of weapons to hack at it, only causing concentric silver ripples on its surface. Ye Nantian's clones surged forward like an ant swarm.

Gu Mo's gaze was cold. While he had to admit that Ye Nantian's endless clones were indeed a powerful and hard-to-kill technique, the clones themselves weren't strong in terms of combat power. With such an attack strength, they couldn't break through his Innate Gang Qi even if they attacked for another hundred years.

Just then, a profound sword intent suddenly tore through the void! It was so fast that Gu Mo's pupils didn't even have time to contract. A figure in green robes appeared like a ghost before the Gang Qi barrier. The person's eyes were tightly shut, their skin as transparent as glass. The black iron sword in their hand looked ordinary, yet the moment it thrust forth, all sounds in heaven and earth suddenly vanished.

"Pfft—"

The instant the black iron sword extended, spiderweb-like ripples spread through the void. The moment its tip touched the moonlight-white Innate Gang Qi, the glowing energy barrier, like thin spring ice meeting fire, let out a soft "hiss" and sliced through without resistance, like a hot knife through solidified fat. The protective Gang Qi briefly flared, but instantly dimmed, managing only to emit a faint glow before being completely pierced by that profound sword intent. The black iron sword, like a bamboo splitting, tore through the remaining Gang Qi. Its edge, carrying a biting chill and an unstoppable momentum, thrust directly at Gu Mo's heart. The air around the sword body twisted and warped, and even the whistling wind abruptly ceased under this sword intent.

However, just as it continued to advance inch by inch, thousands of golden lights suddenly erupted around Gu Mo, and glazed Buddha light flowed like a tangible substance, exploding with deafening Sanskrit chants. The Great Vajra Divine Power transformed into a special force that, surprisingly, penetrated the sword body. The point of impact burst with a blinding ball of light, and the air within a ten-zhang radius was vibrated into a twisting vortex. The green-robed figure's sword-wielding arm jolted violently, and the black iron sword surprisingly cracked inch by inch. Golden light surged from Gu Mo's palm, and a divine power, like a dragon or a flood dragon, surged up the sword body, exploding the instant it contacted the green-robed figure. The green-robed figure flew backward, plowing a furrow over ten zhang long on the city wall ground. Yet, his eyes remained tightly closed, and Gu Mo could not sense a single trace of life from him.

"A dead man!" Gu Mo exclaimed, slightly startled.

Just then, Xiao Ziyin, who was fighting the army below the city wall, widened her eyes and exclaimed, "Jiang Ruoxu!" She immediately sent a telepathic message to Gu Mo: "Hero Gu, run! That's Jiang Ruoxu, he's indeed still alive!"

Gu Mo's pupils constricted, and he said in surprise, "Jiang Ruoxu!"

Ye Nantian chuckled, "Hero Gu, this is the true 'Greatest Under Heaven!'"

In that instant, the air suddenly solidified into glassy crystals. Jiang Ruoxu's dangling sleeves moved without wind, and the moment his figure vanished, the entire space rippled with spiderweb-like cracks. Gu Mo felt the hairs on his brow stand on end. Before he could even grasp his opponent's movement, a chilling sword intent had already grazed his Adam's apple. The sharp sound of the black iron sword's spine tearing through the air exploded half a breath later, and water droplets seeping from the city wall's brick seams condensed into ice crystals in the sword energy's aftermath.

"Clang!"

The Grand Void Sword and Deep Rainbow Sword crossed into an X-shape, sparking the moment their tips touched his heart. Gu Mo's wrists violently jolted. Before the blood beads oozing from his thumb-web could even drip, Jiang Ruoxu's second sword followed like a shadow. Its blade dragged distorted spatial afterimages, plowing a three-foot deep furrow in the ground. Over a dozen metallic clashes exploded like popping beans; Gu Mo was forced back three steps with every blocked sword, and the sparks from the clashing swords even burned honeycomb-like holes into the bluestone. He spun sharply, his "Blending Light with Dust" movement technique transforming his figure into a pale golden stream of light, instantly appearing on the crumbling ruins ten zhang away.

However, before his footing could stabilize, the space behind him suddenly shattered like a broken mirror. Jiang Ruoxu's sword-wielding arm emerged from the rift, the blade striking directly at his back! Gu Mo tapped his toes, teleporting again, only to see that with every swing of his sword, his opponent sliced open ink-colored fissures in the void, his figure emerging from different rifts like a shadow. As the city wall parapets shattered under the sword energy, their figures had already swept onto the glazed tile roof. The moment the flying eaves and dougong brackets fell, they crashed into mountains of rubble.

Jiang Ruoxu's sword momentum was like a continuous thunder and lightning storm; each sword carried the shrieking sound of space being torn apart. No sooner had the afterimages left by Gu Mo's teleportation vanished than new sword shadows stabbed out from the twisted spatial folds. The bluestone ground was covered in spiderweb-like cracks, the aftermath of energy collisions during their teleportation. Even the floating debris in the air retained translucent cross-sections from being sliced by sword energy, reflecting a chilling light under the setting sun.

"Something's wrong!"

After dozens of continuous exchanges, Gu Mo gradually noticed something unusual about the Jiang Ruoxu before him. Although the opponent's sword was unimaginably fast, it seemed to be *only* fast, without a single trace of true energy. Even his "teleportation" seemed to be purely based on incredible physical speed.

Immediately, Gu Mo unleashed his World-Dimming Domain. In that instant, the domain appeared. All colors in heaven and earth rapidly faded as if dissolved by ink. Within a radius of several dozen zhang, the world abruptly became monochrome. Floating debris in the air froze into sharp angles, and spear-wielding soldiers charging forward became rigid statues, maintaining their slashing postures. Even the blood beads seeping from their armor seams solidified into crimson crystals. The sunlight at the edge of the domain was abruptly severed, forming a distinct black-and-white boundary.

Jiang Ruoxu's figure became a flowing ink shadow in the stagnant world. He did not freeze like his surroundings; instead, his sword speed, so fast it tore the air, revealed an uncanny trajectory within the monochrome domain. Each sword swing dragged several afterimages, and the spatial folds cut by the sword gleamed with a faint blue electric light in the black-and-white tones. Gu Mo's pupils suddenly constricted. Only then did he clearly see that his opponent wasn't relying on teleportation, but rather his sword momentum was so fast that it caused continuous distortion in the air, leaving over a dozen overlapping phantoms in place with every strike.

Immediately, Gu Mo's twin swords vibrated, the Grand Void Sword and Deep Rainbow Sword transforming into two balls of flowing light in his palms. He no longer used teleportation. He stomped his feet, shattering the bluestone beneath him, and his figure shot forward like an arrow released from a bow. The moment his twin swords crossed and struck, a deafening clang of metal exploded within the monochrome domain. His left sword aimed at Jiang Ruoxu's sword-wielding wrist, and his right sword diagonally cleaved at his shoulder and neck, sword shadows weaving into an impenetrable net like a fierce storm.

Jiang Ruoxu parried with a single sword, but was repeatedly forced back by Gu Mo's continuous twin-sword assault. The Grand Void Sword's green light and the Deep Rainbow Sword's purple lightning were particularly dazzling in the black-and-white world. Each clash sparked silver flames, and the shattered sword energy plowed intersecting deep furrows in the ground. Gu Mo's footwork was uncanny; his twin swords sometimes coiled like spiritual serpents, shattering his opponent's sword momentum, and sometimes surged like a furious tide, suppressing the thunderous attacks. He actually suppressed Jiang Ruoxu with absolute speed.

"Pffft!"

The Grand Void Sword's blade grazed past Jiang Ruoxu's ribs. Where the green light flashed, the dark cloth ripped like paper, revealing the translucent, glass-like skin beneath. The sword mark was bone-deep, yet not a single drop of blood seeped out; instead, it shimmered with a jade-like luster. Immediately after, the Deep Rainbow Sword diagonally sliced his waist, similarly tearing his clothes and armor and leaving a gruesome wound, but the skin at the wound rippled like water, and the cracks healed at a visible speed. Within the monochrome domain, the clash of twin swords against a single sword thundered like spring lightning. Gu Mo's sword shadows danced faster and faster, weaving a cocoon of light around Jiang Ruoxu. Each strike added new marks to his body. The intersecting sword marks gleamed coldly against the black-and-white backdrop. Shreds of clothing fluttered like butterflies, and wounds appeared in a dense array. Yet, Jiang Ruoxu never shed a single drop of blood. Only beneath his tightly closed eyes, his glass-like skin faintly revealed extremely faint golden patterns, like activated ancient runes.

"A domain!"

One of Ye Nantian's distant clones murmured. Innumerable clones suddenly transformed into surging streams of light. Hundreds of phantoms converged like rivers flowing into the sea. Blades, spears, swords, and halberds dissolved into tiny light particles during the fusion, merging into the constantly expanding energy mass. Amidst twisting light and shadows, dozens of figures condensed into a light orb roughly a zhang in size, finally exploding with a "boom!" and solidifying into a colossal, ten-zhang tall, moonlight-colored giant. The giant's eyes burned with crimson flames, and its body was covered in rune-like cracks. Every breath it took caused the air to rumble like thunder.

"Break!"

The giant's fists, carrying the force of a landslide, smashed towards Gu Mo. Before the fist wind arrived, the ground had already exploded into spiderweb-like deep furrows. The monochrome domain formed by Gu Mo's World-Dimming Domain cracked like glass. The frozen debris and soldier afterimages instantly disintegrated, and the colors of heaven and earth surged back like a tide. The bloody hue of the setting sun once again dyed the battlefield. The moment the giant's fist collided with the domain's edge, Gu Mo felt a surge of immense power. His arms, crossed to block with his twin swords, were numbed by the impact.

The instant the domain dissipated, Jiang Ruoxu's figure abruptly transformed into a black streak that tore through space. Freed from the domain's suppression, Jiang Ruoxu once again resumed his space-shattering speed, instantly appearing before Gu Mo. A sword fell, still without true energy, yet its power and speed were boundless. He no longer left any afterimages; every advance left ink-colored fissures in the void. Before his sword edge even arrived, Gu Mo's chest armor had already been cut with fine slits by the sharp sword intent.

"Clang!"

His twin swords clashed with the black iron sword, producing blinding sparks. Gu Mo leveraged the impact to violently unleash his Innate Gang Qi; the moonlight-white barrier exploded, sending Jiang Ruoxu flying backward to smash through half a crumbling wall. Immediately, Gu Mo tapped his toes onto the Grand Void Flying Sword. The sword glowed with green light, carrying him soaring into the sky. Jiang Ruoxu immediately leaped to pursue, but when he reached thirty zhang in the air, his figure stalled, unable to leverage the fragmented space.

Gu Mo seized this fleeting gap. His "Blending Light with Dust" movement technique allowed him to evade Jiang Ruoxu's pursuit, and riding his flying sword, he ascended directly into the clouds. Meanwhile, Jiang Ruoxu began to descend.

Gu Mo, transforming into a streak of light, shot into the clouds. The clouds surged around him, coalescing into a thundercloud as dark as ink. He took the opportunity to execute the fourth form of the Four Symbols of Heavenly Will Art.

"Wrath of the Lightning God!"

In an instant, thousands of bolts of lightning, like silver serpents dancing wildly, crashed down from the clouds, weaving an impenetrable net of thunder between heaven and earth. Gu Mo gripped the Deep Rainbow Sword tightly in both hands, pointing it skyward. Purple lightning surged wildly along the sword's spine. Gu Mo rapidly descended, bringing his sword down in a mighty cleave. Jiang Ruoxu, who was still descending, was instantly swallowed by a sea of lightning. The spatial fissures created by his black iron sword shattered inch by inch in the lightning, and he was blasted into the ground like a meteor, creating a bottomless crater.

Before the dust could settle, a three-headed, six-armed Fire God avatar suddenly materialized behind Gu Mo. Crimson flames surged from the avatar's pupils.

"Wrath of the Fire God!"

He transformed into a burning meteor, diving down. The sea of fire unleashed by the Deep Rainbow Sword spread like a tsunami. The ten-zhang tall Ye Nantian giant roared in agony amidst the flames, and countless Gu worms seeped from the rune-like cracks on its body. But the waves of fire conjured by Gu Mo's twin swords were already like a sky river overturned, incinerating all the scattered Gu worms. Their glass-like insect carcasses turned into green smoke in the blazing inferno, leaving not a trace of residue.

Immediately, Gu Mo shouted, "Brother Ye, lend me a hand! I'm going to burn this entire city down! No matter how many Gu worms Ye Nantian has, his main body cannot possibly escape this imperial city!"

At this moment, gales raged like wild dragons. Funnel-shaped wind columns, carrying shattered stones and debris, shot skyward, stirring half the sky into a chaotic vortex. Gu Mo stood at the edge of the wind's eye, his avatar rising from the ground behind him. Crimson flames coiled around its body, wind blades whistled into form between its fingers, and lightning, like silver serpents, danced in its hair. Four natural forces collided wildly within the avatar's body; every energy flow caused the air to emit a crisp, glass-shattering sound.

Ye Jinglan, who was currently intercepting the army at the palace entrance, immediately understood Gu Mo's intention upon hearing his words. His Qilin blood was the hottest and most powerful flame in the world, and he also saw that Gu Mo's Fire God avatar perfectly matched his Qilin blood.

"Roar—!"

Immediately, Ye Jinglan transformed into his fiery Qilin form, violently trampling a bronze cauldron. The flames erupting from between his dragon head and deer antlers suddenly dimmed. He roared skyward, and as his chest heaved violently, three mouthfuls of golden-red blood suddenly spurted out. The blood was as scorching as a molten star core, searing glassy furrows into the bluestone upon landing. The evaporating blood mist astonishingly condensed into burning blood spheres in mid-air.

Gu Mo clasped his palms together, catching the incoming blood spheres. Upon contact, he felt a searing pain in his palms; the golden blood actually transformed into flowing flames within his palm lines. He vigorously swung his arm, throwing the blood spheres towards the sky. In that instant, a strange phenomenon arose—the golden blood, like sparks thrown into boiling oil, exploded with a roar against the overcast sky! The entire sky transformed into surging fire clouds. Innumerable burning liquids emerged from the crimson cloud waves, and even the raging tornadoes were tinged amber.

The Fire God avatar behind Gu Mo let out an earth-shattering roar. Its four arms spread simultaneously; wind and fire condensed into a storm of flames in its palms, thunder and lightning wove into a world-destroying divine net at its fingertips. The vertical eye on the avatar's forehead suddenly opened, and the light beam it shot out tore a massive vortex in the fiery clouds.

"Rumble—"

Countless fissures ripped open in the sky, and heavenly fire, ignited by the golden blood, poured down like a waterfall. Each drop of flame trailed a long light tail, exploding into a fire sea spanning an acre upon landing. Tornadoes shrieked agonizingly under the scorching heavenly fire, and the flames at the edges of the wind columns burned blue-green, intertwining with the descending heavenly fire to form a world-destroying, infernal net, threatening to incinerate even the city wall bricks.

Gu Mo immediately prepared to summon his avatar to rampage through the imperial city, intending to set the entire city ablaze.

Just then, one of Ye Nantian's clones hastily shouted, "Hero Gu, I surrender! You are a righteous hero, why would you do something so harmful to heavenly harmony just to kill me? Besides, you can't kill me; at most, you can severely wound me. I have over a hundred thousand Gu worms; you can burn at most thirty to fifty thousand, but countless innocent people will die because of your actions!"

Gu Mo coldly replied, "Burning thirty to fifty thousand of your Gu worms today is enough. I will simply keep hunting and burning you. Your Undying Gu is powerful, but it has a flaw: it cannot ignore distance. If that's the case, I'll just keep burning you until all your Gu worms are gone!"

Ye Nantian's heart jolted. The greatest flaw of his Undying Gu lay precisely here. While it could create a seemingly endless number of clones, all required the manipulation of Gu worms, and these worms could not stray too far from the main body. He could continuously switch his main body, but he couldn't allow other Gu worms to be too far from it; once they exceeded a certain distance, he would completely lose control. Therefore, he was naturally countered by individuals who possessed large-scale destructive abilities and had little moral restraint.

Ye Nantian said, "Hero Gu, there's no deep-seated grudge between us. If you're seeking revenge for the hundreds of thousands of people in Jianbei Commandery of the Jiang Kingdom, then the true culprit isn't me; it's Emperor Jiang. If you go kill him now, I absolutely won't stop you; I can even help you kill him! Hero Gu, Jiang Ruoxu is not easy to deal with. Don't assume you've severely wounded him; in reality, I simply hadn't controlled him to come out yet. With Jiang Ruoxu present, killing Emperor Jiang won't be easy for you. How about this: you let me leave, and I'll help you handle Jiang Ruoxu? You won't be at a disadvantage. You can't kill me anyway, only severely injure me, but if I fight with my life, you'll be in big trouble too. Your sister is still surrounded by the army; if anything goes wrong for you, your sister won't survive. Ultimately, you'd only achieve the result of severely wounding me, which isn't a good deal..."

At this point, Ye Nantian's expression suddenly changed slightly, and he turned his head to look at Emperor Jiang on the high platform below the city wall. At this moment, Jiang Ruoxu had emerged from the ruins and was by Emperor Jiang's side.

Emperor Jiang's expression was calm as he said, "Ye Nantian, it's come to this, and you're still playing petty games with me? I've gambled my empire on this with you. Do you truly believe you can come and go as you please?"

One of Ye Nantian's clones appeared beneath the high platform where Emperor Jiang stood, chuckling, "Is His Majesty referring to the Heaven-Imprisoning Formation?" As he spoke, Ye Nantian made a hand seal. Simultaneously, patterns of light emanated from Jiang Ruoxu's body, gradually forming the shape of a magical formation. However, with a light wave of Ye Nantian's hand, the formation instantly dissipated and shattered.

Ye Nantian chuckled, "Your Majesty, I've lived for over eighty years, and there isn't much in this world I haven't seen. This Heaven-Imprisoning Formation is decent, but it couldn't deceive me. Did you really think it would take so long to revive Jiang Ruoxu's Immortal Body? I was merely breaking this Heaven-Imprisoning Formation the whole time!"

Emperor Jiang scoffed, then looked up at Gu Mo and said, "Gu Mo, I know you want to kill me, and you also want to kill Ye Nantian. However, with Ye Nantian's Undying Gu, killing him is utterly impossible for you. Nevertheless, I can give you an opportunity!"

Gu Mo's pupils constricted slightly. "Are you two having an internal dispute?"

Emperor Jiang replied, "It's not an internal dispute. He and I have been calculating against each other from the very beginning. I helped Ye Nantian perform a blood sacrifice in Jianbei Commandery to assist him in refining the Undying Gu. Then, he would use the Undying Gu to help me revive the Immortal Body my grandfather left behind when he ascended, and after that, he would assist me in unifying the world. However, this old fellow wasn't honest. From the start, he was plotting against me. Not only did he want to use me to refine his Undying Gu, but he also coveted my grandfather's Immortal Body and planned to seize my empire. So, I fought fire with fire. He believed that once he broke the Heaven-Imprisoning Formation, he could completely control my grandfather's Immortal Body. Little did he know, I was waiting precisely for him to control the Immortal Body. From the moment his main body first entered the Immortal Body, he was secretly trapped. With a single thought from me, his main body will be forever imprisoned within the Immortal Body, forever enslaved and driven by me!"

At this moment, all of Ye Nantian's clones revealed expressions of shock.

Emperor Jiang chuckled, "The true meaning of 'Overbearingness' is the real key to activating the Immortal Body, Ye Nantian. The Immortal Body never needed to be revived; it only needed a puppet soul powerful enough in both mental strength and cultivation. You, are the most suitable in this world, without a doubt."

As a golden thread emerged from Emperor Jiang's palm and pierced into Jiang Ruoxu's forehead, all of Ye Nantian's clones simultaneously let out a furious roar: "Emperor Jiang, you dog—"

And in that instant, a tremendous aura burst forth from Jiang Ruoxu, an unstoppable will that soared straight into the sky.

Then, he suddenly opened his eyes!